Crist returns the favor and endorses McCain

Gov. Charlie Crist repeated a favor and endorsed Sen. John McCain at the Pinellas County Lincoln Day Dinner tonight. Late in the Republican primary for governor, McCain endorsed Crist over CFO Tom Gallagher and then joined Sen. Mel Martinez in a fly around the state to promote the future governor's candidacy.

With McCain and Romney neck and neck in the Florida primary, Crist and Martinez calculated that McCain would need a boost over Romney as they leave Florida going into Super Tuesday and hoped their late endorsements would give him a surge of votes.

"I don't think anyone would do better than the man who stands next to me, Sen. John McCain,'' Crist told the crowd, as the event was broadcast live on MSNBC. He turned to shake McCain's hand and added: "That's an endorsement!"

McCain thanked him effusively and said Crist is "known throughout the nation as one of the leaders of the 21st Century.''

Crist's popularity has remained at a steady 57 percent for months, according to a Miami Herald poll conducted last week, but pollsters doubt whether his endorsement will carry much sway.

"The presidential race to voters is much larger than any endorsement,'' said pollster Rob Schroth. "Gov. Crist is well-liked and by all means, in this poll, has done a good job at being governor. But I cannot forsee an endorsement by him of any one candidate being decisive.'" Read story here.'

Comments

[Charles Ellis]

This is a major Step forward for Senator McCain! It is time for the Republican voters in the Sunshine State to help their party select the most electable Republican candidate for President of the United States in the General election. Because of our present difficulties, both domestic and abroad that we and our country face, it is imperative that our party retain the White House in the General Election. With out a Republican President, the values that our great party holds in high esteem, will be imperiled by the unchecked power of a Democrat majority in the House and Senate. There are more voters registered as Democrats than Republicans in our nation; there fore, for any Republican Presidential Candidate to be elected, they must be able to effectively win a majority of the Independents that vote. One candidate has shown himself to be the most able to win those voters. To become President, a Republican must be able to win in the south and they must be able to win in Florida. The ideal candidate should also be able to capture the votes of moderate Democrats in a general election. It is vital for our party to have a candidate who can retain the 55% of the Hispanic vote that our current President won in the last general election. Selecting a candidate that chooses to demogauge, instead of leading on the immigration issue, will not retain 55% of the Hispanic vote. There is one Republican running for President who has shown the ability to deliver more than just the votes of our party members that it will take for us to win in November. There is only one man running for President who has consistently out polled, head to head, all of the Democrats left in the race. There is only one person running for President, whom the Democrats fear in the General Election. That one candidate who can win the White House for our party, in the November General Election is Senator John McCain. The only thing left to find out is if John McCain can win in Florida that is the decision of the Republican voters of Florida. The voters in Florida have determined who has become President in the last 2 general elections. Republicans in the Sunshine state have an historic opportunity to actually pick the eventual President if they prove to the nation that Senator McCain can win in Florida. Florida your time is now, your nation is waiting, your voice is more important than any other, at this time. Choose greatness, choose wisely, make our country proud, and choose Senator McCain.

Will the real republican please stand up?

[sistah]

Charles Ellis:

You're missing the point. No Republican cares if McCain can win the presidency if he doesn't carry with him the DNA of conservatism. And, unfortunately, he doesn't. The sad fact is that John McCain shows open contempt for Republican ideals.

[A Real Conservative]

Charlie and John both need to realize that being a conservative means more than just declaring yourself one.

[Dan]

"John McCain is Bob Dole minus the charm, conservatism and youth. Like McCain, pollsters assured us that Dole was the most "electable" Republican. Unlike McCain, Dole did not lie all the time while claiming to engage in Straight Talk." --Ann Coulter

"If nominated, John McCain will destroy the Republican Party."- Rush Limbaugh

"Florida will be the beginning of the end of Juan McLame's career of fighting for amnesty, teaming up with liberals against tax cuts, giving your social security away to illegals and being the single biggest backstabber to the conservative movement."- Me

Let us count McCain’s “conservative credentials”:

-he wrote the bill granting amnesty to illegal immigrants (co-sponsored by Ted Kennedy)
-he voted to give your social security money to illegal immigrants
-he voted against the Bush tax cuts multiple times (he has since flip-flopped and has campaigned as a lifelong tax-cutter)
-he routinely engages in Democratic class warfare against big companies in America
-as recently as December 2007 he admitted “he does not know the economy very well” and needed to get better at it
-he wrote the McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill that was declared to be an unconstitutional infringement of the 1st Amendment (co-sponsored by ultra-liberal Democrat Russ Feingold)
-he was called the “worst 2nd amendment candidate” by the president of the NRA
-wrote a bill (co-sponsored by his buddy Lieberman) imposing a massive tax on energy which, according to the Heritage Foundation, would drastically raise the price of gasoline and put many US companies out of business
-supports radical global warming legislation which involved him voting with every Democrat
-he joined forces with Democrats (“Gang of 14”) to block the Senate Republican’s attempt to confirm conservative, strict constructionist judges
-he joined liberals to fight against a federal marriage amendment supporting the institution of traditional marriage
-campaigning in 2000, he famously described Christian leaders as “agents of intolerance”
-he filed an amicus brief against pro-life advocates in Wisconsin
-he met with leading Democrats in 2004 to discuss the possibility of being John Kerry’s Vice-President
-with most of these positions, unfortunately, McCain hasn’t flip-flopped and vows to fight for these liberal causes as president
-if I wanted to elect a Democrat, I would vote for Hillary or Obama

Let us now look at some of his endorsements:

-New York Times
-Geraldo Rivera
-Joe Lieberman
-Bill and Hillary Clinton
-nearly every member of the liberal media (most Newspapers have endorsed him for this very reason, phrasing his strength as an ability to “attract the support of liberals”)

If you are a Republican, do not let the most liberal elements of the media tell you who to vote for and who is “electable”. Electability polls fluctuate wildly every week (+16 this very week in favor of Romney). A recent example: Bob Dole was considered far and away the “most electable” Republican because he was respected by Democrats and because of his military service.

Voters in Florida and around the country, if you are a conservative, consider whether McCain’s career record of liberal positions and ineptitude is actually the best you can hope for. Consider if he is the most electable candidate even if many prominent conservatives have vowed to “sit out” this election if he’s the nominee.

Spread the word to other conservatives before the liberals on TV and in the newspapers steal this election away from the conservative movement (lower taxes, stronger families, stronger military, no amnesty).

[thomas]

Reagan = Conservative = 1986 = Amnesty = 4 Million

Why is no one criticizing Reagan?

[ZEVYESHA]

1. John McCain is a divisive figure. He would like to legalise illegal aliens, grant them amnesty and would like to see family reunion programs that will do untold harm to the fabric of the U.S.

2. The very left-wing John McCain worked together with his best buddy Teddy Kennedy to grant freedom for illegal aliens.

3. John McCain supported the bombing of so many innocent Serb men, women and children.

4. John McCain supports the creation of a Muslim terrorist state in the heart of Europe, an Albanian Muslim terror state; he supports the Albanian Muslims terrorists against the heroic Serbs.

5. John McCain will be a disaster for the U.S. He is an utter disgrace, as someone who is very anti-Israel and praised Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton’s foreign policy initiatives (at a 2001 debated in Iowa), which have done untold harm to the U.S. and Israel.

6. John McCain is such a phoney, fake figure – not a conservative or a real Republican, but a very old liberal politician.

7. John McCain is much like Barack Hussein Obama and Hilary Rodam Clinton in his political, social and economic views.

8. John McCain supported John Kerry for president, he praised him tremendously!

9. John McCain voted against President Bush’s tax cuts.

10. John McCain is totally unacceptable and irresponsible. He has to be opposed and Romney supported as a candidate.

[Tony Guadagno]

John McCain is a true American hero and a man of integrity. He stands by his words and beliefs unlike Mitt Romney who will say anything to get himself elected.